Water activation has been recently used in the pharmaceutical field, the cosmetic field, the industrial field, the food industrial field, the agriculture field and the homeware application field.
The electrolytic water is prepared by processing tap water in an electrolysis process wherein an apparatus shown in FIG. 19(a), for example, is used. The tap water is electrolytic water including calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium etc. as in chemical compounds of metal salts.
By using a diaphragm D, the tank T is separated into two cells where an anode E1 and a cathode E2 are placed as shown in FIG. 19 (a). By applying the predetermined current to two electrodes E1 and E2, the electrolytic water is produced.
At the anode E1, the water molecule is decomposed into H++ (hydrogen ion), O2 (oxygen molecule) and e− (electron) and therefore the hydrogen ion increases and the oxygen molecule dissolves into water up to the saturation limit which is determined by the water temperature. In this case, ozone, O2 radicals and oxidizing ions that have oxidation effects are generated. If the electrolytes such as sodium chlorides are presented in the water, the materials derived from the electrolytes are produced, wherein acid water is produced at the anode. Therefore, acid water is prepared at the anode.
On the other hand, OH— (hydroxide) increases by a reaction of electron (e−) and H2 (hydrogen molecule), and is dissolved into water. The water at the cathode E2 features that the inclusion of the material, such as oxygen which relates to the oxidation, extremely decreases. Alkali metals may be presented in water, where some portion of the alkali metals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium is attracted to the cathode E2. Therefore, it is the feature of the cathode E2 that the ions of these alkali metals dissolve in the water at the cathode E2.
The alkali metal ions dissolved in the water close to the cathode E2 keeps high digestive property in comparison to the corresponding salts (originally presented in the tap water) such as sodium chloride and calcium carbonate.
The apparatus that produces the electrolytic water are classified into two kinds: “an alkali ion water producer” (see FIG. 19 (b)) that electrolyzes tap water, pure water and mineral water etc. as they are, and “a strong oxidizing water producer” (see FIG. 19 (c)) that electrolyzes the electrolytic water such as the water including sodium chloride and calcium chloride.
Alkali ion water is obtained from the electrolyzed water at the cathode wherein the water is the tap water purified through the water purifier as shown in FIG. 19 (b).
The water supplied by tap water 201 is sent to the water purifier 202 and the mold-malodorant, trihalomethane etc. are removed (pre-treatment). The pre-treated water is sent to an electrolytic tank 203 which is constructed with the electrodes E1 and E2 and a diaphragm D. The water sent to the electrolytic tank 203 is electrolyzed, and two kinds of water are prepared which are deviated in the pH; one is the oxidizing ion rich water and the other the reducing ion rich water close to the anode E1 and the cathode E2, respectively.
These two kinds of water flow into two different flow paths (a main supply hose 204 and a drain hose 205). The alkali ion water from the cathode cell goes to the alkali ion water faucet attached to the water tap through the supply hose 204. The acid water from the anode cell is sent and drained, for example, into a kitchen sink.
It is told that the alkali ion water prepared in this process can be used for various purposes. To begin with, the applications may be home cooking and home use as follows.
1. Rice Steaming
It is believed that the alkali ion water is preferable for boiling vegetables. The steamed surface of the rice grain becomes lustrous. The taste is not degraded after the steamed rice is cooled down. Therefore, it is said such steamed rice using alkali ion water is suitable for rice balls and cool lunches.
2. Heat Cooking
The alkali ion water is preferred to be used for heat cooking of vegetables. For example, the root vegetables are boiled or steamed with the alkali ion water, then they are cooked well, while still maintaining the outer shapes. The boiling water is drained out and recovered, so that clear vegetable soup is obtained. Therefore the alkali ion water is said to be suitable for cooking soup, curry, stew and vegetable chowder.
3. Soaking
The alkali ion water is said to be effective for soaking dried foods and peas. The peas can, for example, be boiled in about ⅔ the time that is necessary for boiling them in tap water. Another example is dried mushrooms, which can be soaked in water in as little as 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Removing Harshness
The alkali ion water is said to be effective for use in removing harshness from vegetables. For examples, burdocks, eggplants, lotus roots, udo plants and butterburs can be shortly processed for removing harshness by soaking in water after cutting into suitable pieces. It is said that spinach can be boiled to remove harshness enough in a clear color.
5. Preparing Stock
When the stock of dried sea weeds, dried bonitos or dried sardines is prepared, the alkali ion water is said to make thicker but clearer soup in comparison to using tap water.
6. Making Tea and Coffee
Since the alkali ion water has the characteristic of high extraction, it is preferred to use the alkali ion water to maintain good taste when a half quantity of tea or coffee is consumed in comparison to when a normal quantity is consumed.
7. Diluting Alcohol Drinking
The alkali ion water is said to be preferably used to dilute an alcoholic beverage (in other words, prepare whisky-and-water). Since the alkali ion water is quickly digested in the stomach or bowel, a whisky-and-water, prepared using alkali ion water, is felt to be less heavy in the stomach in comparison to using mineral water or tap water for the dilution.
8. Removing Activated Oxygen
The detailed reasons have not been clarified, but there is a lot of experimental data that activated oxygen can be removed by constantly drinking alkali ion water.
However, the known electrolytic apparatus to prepare the electrolytic water has problems that the apparatus consumes a lot of electric power and the apparatus is complicated.
On the other hand the strong acid water is produced from the water in the anode cell by electrolyzing the tap water into which salt is put. For example, the production is done by the apparatus as shown in FIG. 19 (c). The strong acid water production apparatus 300 has no purifier but a measuring and adding apparatus 301 that measures and adds the electrolyte such as sodium chloride (NaCl).
In the industrial direct-water-supply type strong acid production apparatus 300, for example, the predetermined quantity of the electrolyte is measured and added to the water from water tap 302. The water to which a predetermined quantity of the electrolyte is measured and added (for example sodium chloride) is sent to a mixer 303 wherein the electrolytic water is agitated and made homogenous.
Then the electrolytic water is sent to the electrolytic tank 304 (see the details of the electrolytic tank 304 in FIG. 19 (a)).
The aqua electrolytic media in the electrolytic tank 304 produces the chloride compounds in a target quantity and is electrolyzed under a control to maintain constant pH and the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP).
In addition, the strong acid water production apparatus, such as for home use and portable use, has a tank shape type as is and a diaphragm and electrodes are included therein. No measuring and adding apparatus 301 or mixer 303 is used. The electrolytic process is done after the users prepare the electrolytic water and put the prepared electrolytic water into the electrolytic tank.
It is said that the strong acid water prepared in the above process can be effective, for example, for the use of bactericiding, pasteurizing, sterilizing. The bacteria dic by exposing to the strong acid water for a period of time longer than 30 seconds if the bacteria has weak drug resistance and for 2 minutes even if the bacteria has strong drug resistance.
However, the preparation such that the electrolytic water is prepared by using strong acid water production apparatus 300, and there is a problem that a large amount of electric power is consumed in electrolyzing water and the apparatus is complex.
Water magnetization and electromagnetic processes have been used for the purpose of water activation by means of refining cluster of water. The water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom as H2O. However a plurality of water molecules (H2O) are combined into a cluster through the hydrogen bonding of two adjacent hydrogen atoms. In other words, the presence of water is not in a scheme of a single water molecule but in a large block such that the water molecules are linked through the hydrogen bonding (the block is called a cluster; a cluster of tap water is composed of 30 to 50 water molecules).
The electromagnetic waves or far infrared lights are applied to the water that is formed in a cluster including many water molecules combined by hydrogen bonding and the hydrogen bonding is de-combined into small clusters of water by the resonance.
The smaller the block of water molecules, in other words, the smaller the cluster of water, then the larger the enthalpy of the water, or in other words, resulting in more water activation. Because the energy to bond the block of water molecules into a cluster is small when the cluster size is small and therefore the block of water molecules is easy to move. A small cluster of water provides the following general effects;    1. Effects to reduce electrical conductivity    2. Effects to concentrate and subside micro particles forming a colloidal suspension (therefore suppressing the colloidal suspension and increasing the clearness of water)    3. Effect to suppress outbreak of algae    4. Effect to increase the dissolved oxygen    5. Effect to suppress the generation of rust and scale    6. Effect to accelerate the growths of water creatures as fish and waterweeds
According to these point of views, a magnetization apparatus as shown in FIG. 20 has been developed.
This apparatus 400 has a main body including an inlet 402 of the water-in and an outlet 403 of the water-out and a strong magnet filled with neodymium, cobalt, niobium etc. as activated materials.
The water H2O (large) which is led from the water tap to the inlet 402 has a large cluster. The cluster is de-combined into small clustered water H2O (small) by an MHD reaction (Magnet Hydro Reaction) of strong magnetization metals and the cluster of water becomes small and the water may be drained out from the outlet 403.
By using this apparatus, it is possible to de-combine a cluster into smaller clusters without outer energy supply.
However, the effect to de-combine the cluster of water by activating this strong magnetic metal is not sufficient and there is a strong requirement to further de-combine the clusters.
Moreover, this apparatus makes a strong magnetic contact between the water and the metal. However direct contact of the metals to the water generates oxide metals and metal chlorides by reaction with the oxygen and salts dissolved in the water. Then there is a problem that the oxide metals and metal chlorides are dissolved into water.
Furthermore, another problem is that these metals are expensive and the apparatus becomes expensive as well.
The reference (Japanese Published Patent Application 2001-220306) describes the invention that uses predetermined photosynthetic bacteria introduced into the water to be processed and that increases the dissolved oxygen.
The introduction of the predetermined photosynthetic bacteria can activate the water creatures and reduce BOD/COD of water as well as remove anaerobic bacteria presented in the water.
However, the activation of such bacteria depends on the ambient temperature and the exposure to the sun shine and is not stable. Therefore, a stable apparatus to produce activated water is difficult as far as using such bacteria. Also the application of the apparatus is limited due to the use of bacteria.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide water activation method and water activation apparatus that activate water without supplying external energy or with supplying little external energy.
The present inventor has already filed a patent application (Japanese Patent Application; 2001-0271734) that allows the activation of materials by high energy which is generated between particles once the particles composed of the predetermined metals are formed into an arrangement of the predetermined alignment.
According to this invention, particles composed of a single elementary material selected from a group of silicon, titanium, nickel and samarium or fluorocarbon are placed at a position where the wave energy intrinsic to each atom or the fluorocarbon is amplified, and the activation structural body, that has a field of concentrated energy, generates high energy. In other words, the invention describes that it is possible to activate various materials which pass by and stay in the field of the concentrated energy.